The Coast Guard believed Ingraham was sailing alone from Kaunakakai Harbor to Manele Bay on Lanai when he made those calls on Thanksgiving.

Search crews responded to where they believed the calls were initiated. The initial search in difficult weather and sea conditions covered about 12,000 square miles, but there was no sign of Ingraham or his vessel.

The search for Ingraham was suspended on Dec. 1.

So what happened? After experiencing problems with his boat, Ingraham said he sent a distress call to the Coast Guard, but there was a problem.

“My GPS was inoperative and giving out false coordinates,” said Ingraham. So the Coast Guard was looking in one area while he was in another.

“I was hundreds of miles from where they were looking for me,” said Ingraham.

Then on Tuesday, Dec. 9, a miracle happened. “I got a blip. I rerouted my radio with a coat hanger and some wire and got off a blip,” said Ingraham.

Sure enough, Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector Honolulu Command Center received a short Mayday call at 7:55 a.m. from Ingraham.

The call lasted for just a few seconds, but it was enough for the Coast Guard and the Navy to scramble to the rescue.

“With our equipment, we were able to basically use direction finding equipment, we were able to d-f the signal, and trace him to where he was,” said Lt. G. Scott Carr, deputy of external affairs with the 14th Coast Guard District.

The USS Paul Hamilton, a Navy guided missile destroyer, was nearby and rushed to the scene, while the Coast Guard sent a C-130, a Dolphin helicopter and the USCGS Cutter Kiska to join in the effort.

Officials say Ingraham was weak, hungry and dehydrated when he was brought on board the Navy vessel.

“He got a shower, which, if you know, spending time at sea, it’s really nice to get the salt water off of you,” said Carr. “He got some food and water. He’s okay.”

“I had a lot of people rooting for me and the gods were with me and I mean, I am safe and all good,” said Ingraham.

Ingraham’s fishing buddy, Dedric Manaba, heard the good news from the Coast Guard while he was out fishing off Molokai.

A relieved Manaba offered this advice for his friend: “I’m going to tell him maybe you should go fishing with me more often and stop fishing with that little sailboat, kind of dangerous.”

When Ingraham returned to Molokai Wednesday, Manaba gave more than just advice.

He gave Ingraham a gift, in case Ingraham ever found himself in another predicament at sea: a personal EPIRB, or emergency position indicating radio beacon, which transmits an emergency signal via satellite that can be picked up by search and rescue teams.

“Yes, he gave me an EPIRB so I can make it easier on everybody,” Ingraham said with a laugh.

The Coast Guard says, in addition to a life jacket, all mariners should have an EPIRB onboard their vessel.